1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to support attachments for baseball gloves, and to baseball gloves integrally provided with support portions. More particularly, the invention relates to a support portion, for attachment to or integral formation with a conventional baseball glove, which not only supports the user's wrist, but also operatively cooperates with portions of the user's hand, wrist and forearm so as to impart controlling movements therefrom to the baseball glove disposed on the user's hand.
The terminology "baseball glove" as employed herein is intended to connote any of a variety of conventional baseball gloves or mitts comprising front and back walls joined together at upper and side portions thereof and defining at the lower portions thereof a hand insertion opening. Typically, such baseball gloves have the front and back walls thereof joined together to define a thumb portion separate from a fingers portion, with an intermediate bridge or pocket portion connected between the thumb and fingers portions.
A variety of different baseball glove constructions intended for different playing positions are also intended to be covered by the terminology "baseball glove." In the case of gloves to be used by fielders, the fingers portion of the baseball glove often has the front and back walls stitched together in a manner which forms a plurality of finger stalls. In the case of catchers' mitts, the fingers portion of the glove may or may not be formed with separate finger stalls; and in the case of first base gloves or mitts, the fingers portion is often defined without separate finger stalls.
The above-described conventional baseball gloves or mitts typically conform to various professional baseball standards for size, pockets, adjustments and padding and are fabricated of leather such as top grain cow hide which is treated and tanned to meet color and/or texture regulations. The gloves may or may not be treated with a water repelling substance, as desired.
2. Description of the Relevant Art
One of the major problems attendant conventional baseball gloves is the lack of support of one of the most vulnerable parts of the baseball player's body, his or her wrist. The wrist is particularly vulnerable due to the added weight of the baseball glove itself; and also due to the force of a ball caught in the glove, which is often sufficient to cause the hand to bend backwards sharply at the wrist. When subjected to this sudden stress, the wrist is highly susceptible to spraining or other injury. At the same time, the player is quite likely to lose the ball he is attempting to catch.
Another problem attendant conventional baseball gloves relates to control. The unnatural heaviness and thick padding of the glove on the player's hand can often lead to an awkward unwieldiness of the gloved hand during play. There has thus developed a desideratum for a glove construction or attachment which is capable of making the rather heavy and sometimes unwieldy glove a more integral part of the user's catching arm, wrist and hand movements.
Illustrative of known glove constructions and attachments therefor which support and/or cooperate with the user's wrist are those disclosed in the below-discussed U.S. Patents.
U.S. Pat. No. 811,389 issued in 1906 to Ferry entitled "BALL PLAYER'S MITT" discloses a catcher's mitt having a wrist-band secured to the palm or front wall, as well as side portions of the back wall, of the mitt. The principal supporting portion of the wrist-band extends along the front or palm side of the user's wrist, while the back of the user's wrist is left essentially unprotected against backwards bending.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,400,831 issued in 1983 to Rietz discloses a water skiing glove having a length of palm side strapping extending from an upper fingers portion of the glove to a lower wrist portion thereof. The palm strapping is connected to a wrist strapping adapted to be wrapped about the user's forearm. The palm strapping is particularly suited for alleviating arm-straining forces while waterskiing, and is not intended to protect the back of the hand, wrist and forearm of a user engaged in baseball playing activity.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,651,345 issued in 1987 to Latina entitled "WRIST STRAP CONSTRUCTION FOR A BASEBALL GLOVE" discloses a wrist strap secured at its inner end to the glove by a web of elastic material and having at its outer end a fastening element which cooperates with a fastening element on the back of the glove itself. Because the wrist strap extends only across the lower portions of the back wall of the glove, it affords little protection against backwards bending of the user's wrist when catching a ball.
Each of the above-described known constructions fails to overcome the aforesaid support and control problems attendant conventional baseball gloves.
The present invention effectively overcomes such problems by providing not only a firm support against backward bending of the hand about the user's wrist, but also enhanced control capabilities enabling the user's gloved hand to become a more natural part of the movements of the catching arm.